Ambrose: The Father of Christian Hymnody

In the early life of the church, a few persons were extremely influential
upon the way worship and services and the life of the church were
conducted, and one of those that affected Christian music the most is
St. Ambrose of Milan. He served as the Bishop of Milan starting in 374
AD, and is credited with many contributions to Christian music and
worship. He is considered one of the fathers and doctors of the church,
and was extremely infliuential in the medieval politics within the
church, as well as a strong opposer of heresy and injustice in Milan.
Ambrose was born into a Roman Catholic family in 340 AD, and
as the story goes, as an infant, a swarm of bees landed on him, leaving
behind a drop of honey, a sign his father took to foreshadow Ambroses
honeyed tongue and way with words. Bees and beehives have since
peppered most images of Saint Ambrose. Ambrose followed in his
fathers footsteps by studying law and public speaking, eventually
becoming very popular and recognizable in Milan as the Governor of
Aemilia-Liguria until he became Bishop. His selection as bishop was in
truth a rather political one by those who chose him, though it proved to
be extremely beneficial for both parties, as he found himself very well
suited for Christian leadership, although he himself had never been
baptized.
Saint Ambrose, as the Bishop of Milan, is attributed with the rise
of Christianity in the West, through his efforts to unify the church, but

also keeping it independent from the state. He put a lot of effort into
dispelling paganism and Arianism (the belief that Jesus is subordinate
to the Father, and that the Holy Spirit is not its own being) from the
Catholic Church. He opposed them at many synods in Aquila, and
staunchly refused them from utilizing a church building in Milan.
Ambrose lived extremely humbly, and when elected Bishop, sold all of
his land, only leaving what was necessary to provide for his family. He
often sold church property to regain prisoners of war back to Milan, and
was overall very much a proponent of caring for the lesser, giving to
the poor, and loving our brothers and sisters in Christ.
While he certainly was an important figure outside of Christian music,
through his bishophood and other work in the church, but his
contributions to Christian song are notably important. He wrote a
number of original hymns (Deus Creator Omnium, Jam surgit hora
tertia), all of which are written in very strict iambic dimeter. He was
not extremely prolific, but his largest credit as a Christian musician was
the composition of the repertoire for antiphonal chant, that is, the style
of chant characterized by half of a choir responding to the other with
an antiphon, or a congregational refrain, a style of hymn-writing that
would go on to be an integral tool in Christian hymnody later on in the
churches life.
St. Ambroses list of contributions to Christian Music is short, but
absolutely of the utmost importance. Antiphonal chant was used by

many churches and denominations well after his death, and his hymns
and writings still live on today.